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Bryan ISD board files required report on state seat-belt mandate, hears $900,000 retrofit estimate
Summary
Bryan ISD trustees approved the required report under Texas Senate Bill 546 and heard district staff estimate retrofitting 30 older buses with three-point seat belts would cost about $30,000 per bus (roughly $900,000), with new buses costing about $165,000 each and longer-term replacements funded through the 2025 bond.
Bryan Independent School District trustees voted to submit the report required by Texas Senate Bill 546 — which mandates three-point seat belts on school buses by Sept. 1, 2029 — after transportation officials outlined the district’s current fleet and cost estimates.
Bryan ISD transportation staff said the district operates about 121 buses in service but needs about 130 to meet routing demands and currently has roughly 50 buses without three-point seat belts. Chief financial director of transportation Bryant Washington told the board that the district recommends retrofitting approximately 30 buses at an estimated $30,000 per bus, a package cost of about $900,000. Washington said the district expects to purchase about 29 new buses over the next three years as part of the 2025 bond program at an average new-bus cost of about $165,000 each.
"We want our kids to be safe," Washington said, but he stressed the retrofit requirement is effectively an "unfunded mandate" unless the state helps cover costs. Pat Corbett, executive director of operations, echoed concerns about funding and logistics, saying the district is already managing a multi-million-dollar transportation deficit in operating costs and that the timing and vendor capacity for retrofits remain uncertain.
Several trustees raised practical questions about how three-point belts will be managed with early-morning runs and large student loads. One board member asked whether bus drivers or staff would assist younger students in buckling and unbuckling, and Washington said operational details will need to be worked out and that retrofits are not required to be completed until 2029.
District leaders said they will submit the required report to the Texas Education Agency and expect the state to determine whether and how to contribute funding. The board approved the motion to file the reporting information as presented.
What happens next: The district will continue to track vendor timelines and funding options, incorporate retrofit and replacement timelines into bond spending plans, and return to the board as specific purchases or retrofit contracts are proposed.
